Page 14 of No Going Back
“We should probably call your landlord and see how long it’s going to take him to get down here to repair this. Then we can figure out the best plan for cleaning up this mess.” He tipped his head, barely peeking her way over one shoulder. “Everything okay?”
He was waiting for her to change, and as much as she didn’t love the thought of stripping down when he could turn around at any second, the temptation of pulling on a dry, warm shirt was a little too great. “Everything’s fine.” Dianna glanced around, looking for a spot to set Griffin’s shirt while she peeled off her own. “I just need a dry place to set your shirt down while I get situated.”
Griffin reached up to tap one shoulder. “Toss it over here.”
Dianna pulled in a deep breath and inched a little closer, leaning forward to drape the shirt over the dark depiction of a wolf tattooed across Griffin’s left shoulder. Then she turned her back to his, wrestling the sticky, wet cotton T-shirt over her head. She glanced down at the lacy bra clinging to her skin. It was just as wet as the shirt and would be horribly uncomfortable once it started chafing her skin.
Even more uncomfortable than going braless in front of Griffin, and that was saying something considering the size of her chest and the lack of perk it possessed.
She unclasped the garment, peeling it away from her skin before dropping it onto the counter. Then, using one arm to cover as much of her breasts as possible, she snagged Griffin’s shirt, trading out hers before wiggling her arms through the gloriously dry cotton. A little of his body heat still lingered, warming her immediately as it settled onto her skin. Her goosebumps relaxed and she sighed in relief as the familiar scent of him surrounded her.
“Done?”
Dianna nodded even though he couldn’t see. “Done.”
Griffin turned to face her, taking the shirt she’d had on and wringing it out before shaking it loose as his gaze drifted down her front. “That looks better on you than it does on me.”
A laugh bubbled out, riding a wave of nervousness and discomfort. “I highly doubt that.”
His shirt was a little tight around her middle and didn’t cover near enough of her ass, but it was warm and dry so she wasn’t going to complain.
Griffin gave her the easy grin that had made her belly flip from the first time he stepped into her shop. “You shouldn’t. It’s the truth.” He tugged the damp shirt over his head, working the fabric down his chest, sucking in a breath as it hit his skin. “Holy shit. This is cold.”
She accidentally laughed again, managing her first full breath since that damn pipe split in half. “You want to trade back?”
“No way.” He pinched at the fabric, pulling it away from his skin. “I was feeling a little warm anyway. I could probably use to cool off.”
Dianna couldn’t stop herself from reaching for her hair again. It was her favorite feature, the only one untainted by someone else’s hateful words, and right now it looked just as bad as the rest of her, leaving her feeling completely exposed and more than a little self-conscious. “Stand in front of that open pipe for a few minutes. You’ll cool right off.”
“I would, but we’ve got a mess to clean up.” Griffin braced his hands on his hips as he scanned the space. “Tell me where to start.”
“Well…” She wasn’t great at telling other people what to do. It was one of the main reasons she never called Janie. “We should probably start on the counters and work our way down.”
“Smart thinking.” Griffin immediately moved in at her side, his blue eyes sweeping the trays of tomorrow’s baked goods lining the counter. “I’m guessing most of this is a lost cause.”
Her eyes started to burn as tears of embarrassment threatened to leak free. “I shouldn’t have messed with that damn pipe.”
“Hey.” Griffin’s voice was soft as he reached out to skim his fingers along her jaw. The touch was gentle and warm and something she’d never expected to have. Never expected to want after all she’d been through. “It’s okay.” Griffin stepped close, pulling her body against his. His arms were strong and solid where they wrapped around her, holding tight as one hand stroked down her wet hair. “We’re going to get all this taken care of. I promise.”
It was so strange to have someone comforting her after she’d basically fucked everything up. Maybe that was part of the reason she was so tense right now. Situations like this used to always result in hearing she was a failure. Inept. Stupid. Useless.
And even knowing she was none of those things didn’t stop the knee-jerk fear built into her body.
“I’m actually really impressed you tried to take on that pipe.” Griffin rested his mouth against the top of her head, his lips moving against her damp, frizzy hair. “Most people don’t have the balls to attempt to fix a problem like that.”
“Is it balls?” She sniffed into his shoulder. “Or is it just stupidity?”
Griffin was quiet, his hold on her tightening the tiniest bit. “You’re definitely not stupid, Di.” His hand slid up and down her back in slow, steady passes. “You’ve built one hell of a business in less than a year and you’ve done it all on your own. There aren’t many people who could accomplish that.”
Dianna closed her eyes, trying to let his words sink in. Hoping they might replace some of the ones she couldn’t seem to rid herself of no matter how hard she tried.
She hated Martin. Knew he was an asshole and a piece of shit. Regretted the day she married him more than anything. But she still struggled to break free of the grip his abuse had on her, and that almost pissed her off more than anything else. That he continued to control her. Even now.
Especiallynow.
She tipped her head back, planning to thank Griffin and hoping to pull her focus from places she refused to let it linger.
It worked. The second her eyes met his it was impossible to think of anything else.
